Lifetime of Knowledge Can Clutter Memories of Older Adults
When a person tries to access a memory, their brain quickly sifts through everything stored in it to find the relevant information. But as we…
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New Research Finds That With Obesity, the Problem Isn’t an Excess of Fat but Its Loss of Function
Obesity is known to cause cardiometabolic diseases like hypertension and diabetes but attributing these diseases to merely an overabundance of fat is a simplification. On…
Hippos Recognize Each Other’s Voices – And Respond Differently to Calls of Strangers
Hippopotamuses are rather vocal animals. Their “wheeze honk” calls can be heard over long distances, leading researchers to suspect the calls play an important role…
“Total Surprise” As Massive Icefish Breeding Colony With 60 Million Active Nests Found in Antarctica
Researchers reporting in the journal Current Biology on January 13, 2022, have discovered a massive breeding colony of notothenioid icefish in Antarctica’s southern Weddell Sea….
Zoo Air Is Filled With Enough DNA To Identify the Animals Inside
The air in a zoo is full of smells, from the fish used for feed to the manure from the grazing herbivores, but now we…
Researchers Discover Dolphin Females Have Working Clitoris – “Surprisingly Similar” to the Shape in Humans
Like humans, female dolphins have a functional clitoris, according to a study appearing today (January 10, 2022) in the journal Current Biology. The findings are…
These Fish Work Together by the Hundreds of Thousands To Do the Wave – Here’s Why
In the sports arena, spectators sometimes create a spectacle known as a wave, as successive groups stand up in unison to yell with arms in…
Migratory Birds Have Lighter-Colored Feathers – Here’s the Evolutionary Explanation
Migratory birds are specially adapted to find their way over extreme distances that represent remarkable tests of endurance. Now, researchers reported on December 6, 2021,…
Researchers Call for Therapeutics To Treat Cholesterol Cousins Called Ceramides – Linked to Many Health Problems
Therapeutics that target lipids called ceramides might hold potential for treating cardiometabolic disease, argues a review article published today (November 5th, 2021) in the journal…
Gamergate: Single Molecule Controls Unusual Ants’ Switch From Worker to Queen-Like Status
Depending on the outcome of social conflicts, ants of the species Harpegnathos saltator do something unusual: they can switch from a worker to a queen-like status known…
Scientists Make Hardened Wooden Knife That’s 3x Sharper Than Stainless-Steel
The sharpest knives available are made of either steel or ceramic, both of which are man-made materials that must be forged in furnaces under extreme…
Ancient Poop Shows People in Austria Drank Beer and Ate Blue Cheese 2,700 Years Ago
Human feces don’t usually stick around for long—and certainly not for thousands of years. But exceptions to this general rule are found in a few…
Not Science Fiction: German Scientists Harness the Power of Photosynthesis for New Way To “Breathe”
Photosynthesizing algae injected into the blood vessels of tadpoles supply oxygen to their brains. Leading a double life in water and on land, frogs have…
Spider Silk Is Supposed To Have “Healing Properties” – Scientists Debunk the Myth
As far back as ancient Rome, spider silk has been used as a remedy to treat everything from skin lesions to warts. In the past,…
Bees Are Dying in Large Numbers Around the World – Plant Compound May Protect Them From Deadly Virus
Plant compound may protect bees from deadly virus that makes them lose their way home. Around the world, honeybees are dying in large numbers. This…
Researchers Translate Insect Defense Chemicals Into Eerie Sounds – Listen Now
Sawfly larvae protect themselves by secreting cocktails of unpleasant, volatile chemicals intended to repel predators, particularly ants. Researchers can assess the effectiveness of these defenses…
Scientists: We Should Focus on Fitness Over Weight Loss for Obesity-Related Health Conditions
The prevalence of obesity around the world has tripled over the past 40 years, and, along with that rise, dieting and attempts to lose weight…
Coral Reef Cover, Biodiversity, and Fish Catches Have Declined by Half Since the 1950s
Coral reefs around the world are under threat because of climate change, overfishing, pollution, and more. Now, researchers reporting in the journal One Earth today (September…
